Chinese seeks reconstruction role in Libya

China has sent a team of government officials and company executives to Libya to discuss post-war reconstruction and how to protect Chinese assets, the official Xinhua news agency reported on Sunday.

The team, led by Wang Shenyang, head of the foreign investment and economic cooperation department of the Ministry of Commerce, will assess damage to Chinese assets in Libya and talk with Libyan officials about uncompleted projects, Xinhua said.

Representatives of Chinese companies involved in the projects, mainly construction, railways and dams, power and telecommunications, were in the team which will visit until Wednesday, it added.

China, which has said its companies suffered severe economic losses as a result of the civil war in Libya, has become increasingly concerned about the safety of its personnel and property overseas after dozens of its workers were kidnapped in Sudan and Egypt.